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May 10, 2020 Newsletter

One of the safest, most convenient and cost-effective ways for you to purchase wine is by ordering online from the relative safety of your own home from one of your favourite Ontario wineries and/or wine agents with most of them offering free shipping to your door with a minimum 6 or 12 bottle purchase. You can find many Ontario wineries by clicking on and scrolling through the ‘New in Ontario Wineries’ on left of the opening page of www.winecurrent.com.

We wrap up our eight-issue journey visiting wineries from both islands of New Zealand and the state of South Australia that produces almost 50% of all Australian wine. This week we visit and taste wines from Henschke, who have a staggering four wines listed (2 listed in the top category) in the über premium Langton’s Classification of Australian Fine Wines as well as being included in Australia’s First Families of Wine – there are only 12 members. Some of the wines reviewed will make their way to our market and they will be snapped up very quickly.

The LCBO may not print a Vintages Catalogue for the upcoming release and may not ship wines slated to be in that release to all stores. In other words, there are many more interesting wines outside the LCBO than there are inside, and these other wines are obtained safely and more easily by reading the following reviews and ordering from the winery or agent.

New in Ontario Wineries

Featherstone Estate Winery

1. Free Delivery with a minimum purchase of $120.00 within Ontario (some restrictions may apply to rural addresses) Click here to order wine.
2. Pick up at the winery- give us a call with a credit card number and we’ll have your order ready for pick up. It’s ‘take-out wine’ to go with your take-out meals. No minimum order, available 7 days, please give us minimum 2 hours’ notice. Phone 905-562-1949. If you prefer zero-contact, we can leave your order on the back porch for you.
3. Tasting room is closed.

92
Featherstone Estate Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2019
VQA Niagara Peninsula $17.95 (89011) 12.5% alcohol
Gooseberry aromas waft easily from the glass with a supporting cast of grassy notes and ripe pit fruit—peach, yellow plum and hints of mango. It envelops the palate with a balanced-on-a-pin, creamy-smooth mouthful of delectable flavour with quince jelly, tangy lemon curd and wisps of saline minerality to the fore. This is medium bodied with persistent purity of fruit and deft balance extending through the crisp and refreshing finish. Pour on its own or alongside fish, seafood, sushi or crumbled chèvre over a bed of olive-oiled arugula. (Vic Harradine)

• Wine from the following 2018 Featherstone Estate Winery ‘Canadian Oak’ Chardonnay was pressed into and ambient-yeast fermented in, Canadian oak barrel with 90% pre-used from one to five years and 10% new. It matured for 10 months in the same barrels and underwent partial—50%—malolactic conversion.

90
Featherstone Estate Winery ‘Canadian Oak’ Chardonnay 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $21.95 (149302) 13.0% alcohol
Light-gold hued in the glass, lifted aromas of exotic spice, pungent oaky notes and orchard fruit—red apple, ripe pear, apricot—and hi-toned spirits abound. It captures the palate with an energetic surge of baking spice, caramel apple and citrussy notes. This is medium weight with good mouthfeel, deft balance and a lengthy lip-smacking finish. It’s good to go now alongside roast pork with a tangy applesauce side or chicken pot pie. (Vic Harradine)

• A ‘Phoenix’ is a mythical bird associated with rebirth or renewal. In the particularly brutal winter of 2017, Featherstone’s then 14-year-old gewürztraminer vines appeared to have succumbed to the cold. However, they have survived and risen again by producing this limited bottling—only 198 cases produced. The following 2019 Featherstone ‘Phoenix’ is certainly deserving of your careful consideration of a multiple purchase. Only 7 bottles purchased from online at the winery and they’ll pick up the shipping charge to deliver to your home. While ordering this, fill up the case with five more wines, your choice, and they’ll arrive together without any shipping charge.

92
Featherstone Estate Winery ‘Phoenix’ Gewürztraminer 2019
VQA Niagara Peninsula $18.95 (519025) 13.5% alcohol
Rosewater and ginger aromas mingle with piquant spice on the nose of this medium-plus bodied, fully textured, oily and creamy-smooth gem. It coats the palate with viscous ambrosia riding delicious palate flavours of grilled pineapple, lemon curd and orange cordial. It has a monumentally long finish and aftertaste that’s balanced and beautiful. Pour with tandoori chicken or baked leg of butt-portion ham decorated with cloves and brushed with maple syrup. (Vic Harradine)

• Fruit for the following 2019 Featherstone Estate Winery ‘Four Feathers’ was both machine and hand harvested then pressed and transferred into 100% stainless steel fermentation tanks and after eight hours of fining and settling was racked off gross lees. It’s a white blend of 50% riesling/40% chardonnay/8% sauvignon blanc/2% gewürztraminer

91
Featherstone Estate Winery ‘Four Feathers’ 2019
VQA Niagara Peninsula $14.95 (341586) 12.5% alcohol
This white blend has a cult-like following by consistently punching well above its low, low price. A smorgasbord of aromas leap from the glass with mango, pineapple, lemon zest and piquant spice to the fore. It bathes the palate with a delightful, complex wash of flavour—lemon-lime cordial and blood orange mingling with wisps of sugared and grilled white grapefruit sections. It’s just off-dry with loads of delicious tang and silky-smooth mouthfeel. Pour on its own or alongside fish or seafood, or supermarket rotisserie roast chicken. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2018 Featherstone Estate Winery ‘Black Sheep’ Riesling is another in a long line of fine examples from Featherstone of how artisanal wines from family-owned and family-managed wineries often trump the massive winery conglomerates in quality and, importantly, in quality-price balance.

91
Featherstone Estate Winery ‘Black Sheep’ Riesling 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $18.95 (80234) 10.0% alcohol
Aromas of lemon-lime, mineral notes and wisps of white grapefruit provide segue to a tang-laden stream of saline/flinty minerality, Granny Smith apple and lime cordial racing over the palate persisting through the crisp, clean and refreshing finish. This is medium bodied and light on its feet with excellent balance, persistent purity of fruit and oodles of tang and boatloads of charm. A perfect thirst quencher at any time, it also shines with charcuterie and a baguette or a plate of sushi, ceviche or a platter of freshly shucked briny oysters. (Vic Harradine)

• Huge kudos to Featherstone winemaker, David Johnson, recently named ‘2020 Winemaker of the Year’ at the Ontario Wine Awards. The following 2019 Featherstone Estate Winery Rosé is a wonderful example of his vineyard management and winemaking prowess.
“We farm naturally and without the use of insecticides, growing wine in a way that is healthy and completely unique. The result is bright and complex small-lot wines crafted to express the singular nature of our premium site in the Twenty Mile Bench appellation.”

92
Featherstone Estate Winery Rosé 2019
VQA Niagara Peninsula $15.95 (117861) 13.0% alcohol
This Rosé is a red blend of 42% cabernet sauvignon/39% cabernet franc/16% gamay noir/3% merlot. Lifted, lively aromas leap from the glass with strawberry and watermelon interwoven with piquant spice and peel marmalade. It blankets the palate with flavour-filled surge of tang-infused cranberry cordial, pie cherry along with sugared and grilled ruby red grapefruit. It’s fresh and lively, balanced and beautiful, flavour packed and simply mouth-watering delicious. You will not taste many Rosé better than this and even fewer with a price-quality balance so tipped in your favour. (Vic Harradine)

• There were only 48 cases of the following 2018 Featherstone Estate Winery Gamay Noir made. It was machine harvested, sorted by optical scanner then cold soaked in open-top vats and fermented with commercial yeast. After full malolactic fermentation it was matured in 100% neutral American oak barrels—over 5 years old—for 10 months. This is sold at or via the winery only.

89
Featherstone Estate Winery Gamay Noir 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $17.95 12.5% alcohol
Red cherry/berry fruit and gamy notes mingle with sandalwood and blueberry aromas on the nose. It blankets the palate with a medium-bodied, nicely textured, strong-flavoured tsunami wave of ripe red and dark berry fruit, grilled savoury herbs and tang-laden passionfruit. It’s good to go now after a two-hour aeration/decant poured with spicy hot chilli con carne or lamb tagine with potatoes, carrots and tomatoes. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2018 Featherstone Estate Winery Cabernet Franc is a blend of 86% cabernet franc with 14% merlot. Fruit was machine harvested, optically scanned and sorted, cold soaked for five days then fermented with commercial yeast. It went through 100% malolactic conversion and was aged in 100% American oak, 25% new.

91
Featherstone Estate Winery Cabernet Franc 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $19.95 (64618) 12.9% alcohol
The price-quality balance tips well in your favour here. Floral notes, graphite and hints of incense mingle with bramble berry on the nose of this medium-bodied, silky-smooth textured, delightful cab franc. It caresses the palate with a deftly balanced and immensely flavourful stream showcasing balance of tang and acidity, soft ripe tannin and delectable flavour with ripe red plum and cherry playing off good tang and a lengthy crisp and mouth-watering finish. Give this a go with comfort food of the grill—gourmet sausage, beer-can chicken. (Vic Harradine)

91
Featherstone Estate Winery ‘Red Tail’ Merlot 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $19.95 12.5% alcohol
This is lip-smacking good from twist top to last drop with the price-quality ratio skewed in your favour. Delicate aromas of dark berry fruit, floral notes and exotic incense waft from the glass, A delightfully lively flow of crunchy red fruit—cherry, passion fruit and cranberry—race over the palate with great élan. Somewhere around mid-palate a dollop of ripe dark cherry makes itself known enhancing the balance of fruit and acidity. It’s a great sipping wine and pours well with spicy tomato pasta. (Vic Harradine)

New in Vintages

• The following 2019 Featherstone Estate Winery Sauvignon Blanc is 100% sauvignon blanc from vines planted sixteen years before fruit for this wine was harvested. It was 20% barrel fermented in neutral Canadian oak barrels—Featherstone was one of the first Ontario wineries to use Canadian oak barrels for their wines.

“We farm naturally and without the use of insecticides, growing wine in a way that is healthy and completely unique. The result is bright and complex small-lot wines crafted to express the singular nature of our premium site in the Twenty Mile Bench appellation.”

• This is a Vintages Essentials wine always available in a select +200 LCBO retail stores.

91
Featherstone Estate Winery Cabernet Franc 2018
VQA Niagara Peninsula $19.95 (64618) 12.9% alcohol
The price-quality balance tips well in your favour here. Floral notes, graphite and hints of incense mingle with bramble berry on the nose of this value-packed, medium-bodied, silky-smooth textured, delightful cab franc. It caresses the palate with a deftly balanced and immensely flavourful flow showcasing balance of tang and acidity, soft ripe tannin and delectable flavour with ripe red plum and cherry playing off good tang and a lengthy crisp and mouth-watering finish. Give this a go with comfort food off the grill—gourmet sausage, beer-can chicken or cheese burgers. (Vic Harradine)

• The following two wines from Rocca delle Macie wines are both Vintages Essentials wines always found in select LCBO retail stores.

• The ‘Classico’ on the wine label in the 2018 Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico below alerts you this wine is from the heartland and original homeland of Chianti with ‘Chianti Classico’ considered the premium growing and winemaking sub-zone of the seven sub-zones in the now, quite large Chianti region in Tuscany.

90
Rocca delle Macie ‘Famiglia Zingarelli’ Chianti Classico 2018
DOCG Chianti Classico, Italy $18.95 (741769) 13.5% alcohol
Cedar, floral notes and mixed field berry fruit aromas precede a racy line of red currant and pie cherry palate flavours adorned with savory herbs and a lick of red licorice and hints of mocha. It’s medium-plus bodied with good mouthfeel and a lengthy dry, mouth-watering finish. Give this a go with pasta Bolognese or meat-laden lasagna. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2018 Rocca delle Macie ‘Riserva Chianti is a Vintages Essentials wine always found in select LCBO retail stores.

90
Rocca delle Macie ‘Riserva’ Chianti 2016
DOCG Chianti, Italy $15.95 (111641) 13.5% alcohol
Aromas of cherry/berry fruit and floral notes introduce a medium-bodied, nicely textured stream of lively, tang-laden palate flavour with red currant, ripe black cherry and passionfruit. This is primarily sangiovese with a cup or two of cabernet sauvignon and merlot. It’s medium weight, nicely textured with good red fruit flavour framed with tang and underpinned by wisps of soft tannin. A wash of pie cherry and red currant jelly races over the palate persisting through the finish and adorned with wisps of tannin on the aftertaste. Best poured with pasta in a tomato-based sauce; try spaghetti Bolognese or pasta puttanesca. (Vic Harradine)

New in the LCBO Portfolio

89
Villa Sandi Pinot Grigio 2018
DOC Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, Italy $12.70 (580324) 11.5% alcohol
This friendly priced white offers refreshing ripe honeydew melon, lemon zest aromas along with crushed gravel notes. It flows on the palate with more weight than anticipated, carrying delicious flavours of melon, white peach, Meyer lemon and chalky minerality adding interest to the flavour profile and the clean, crisp finish. This is an excellent value and a great partner to salted nuts or seafood antipasto. (Louise Boutin)

 89
Villa Sandi Prosecco Sparkling Wine – Brut - Non-Vintage
DOC Prosecco Treviso, Italy $15.95 (394387) 11.0% alcohol
The quality-price balance tips well in your favour here. Classic and beautiful aromas of freshly grated lemon zest, pear, yeast and mineral notes introduce a nice froth filling the palate with dry refreshing flavours—Granny Smith apple, pink grapefruit, slight delicious pithiness and a saline note. This is crisp and clean on the finish with a dry lip-smacking mouthfeel despite 13 g/L of residual sugar. This is a great choice to keep on hand for apero time. (Louise Boutin)

88
stel+mar ‘Premium White’ Chardonnay No-Vintage indicated
California $4.95 (14776) 250 mL can (handy pull tab) 14.5% alcohol
Piquant spice, yeasty notes, caramel and apple aromas introduce a tasty stream of ripe pear, peach and lemon curd blanketing the palate. This is good weight and nicely textured with consistent purity of fruit and good balance from opening click to the very last sip with excellent tang on the back palate and finish. It’s handy for travel, easy to pack and carry, quick to cool and great around the pool. (Vic Harradine)

87
stel+mar ‘Premium Red’ Zinfandel No-Vintage indicated
California $4.95 (14775) 250 mL can (handy pull tab) 13.7% alcohol
It’s handy for travel, easy to pack and carry, and great around the pool. Sprigs of savoury herbs and bramble berry fruit aromas abound on the nose. It’s certainly fruity on entry with sweet flavours of red and dark berry fruit along with wisps of milk chocolate. It’s reasonably well balanced with a fairly short finish. Will go well poured with backyard hot dogs and burgers. (Vic Harradine)

Henschke winery

Click on this link to see photos of the Henschke family and the church that sits across from the Hill of Grace vineyard and to learn how they became and remain so successful.

Henschke wines are world renowned and difficult to source. To enquire about or order the following Henschke wines by the case for delivery to your home, office or restaurant, simply contact or order from Breakthru Beverage Group. For assistance with locating or ordering their wines available by the bottle or by the case, you can contact their office at 647-790-0550 option #2 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Upstream in winecurrent

Classics Catalogue Release: January 7, 2021

• The following 2017 Henschke ‘Henry’s Seven’ is a blend of 73% shiraz/17% grenache/5% mataro/5% viognier grown in the Eden Valley and the Barossa Valley allowing it to use the ‘Barossa’ Geographical Indication (G.I.). It was named to honor Henry Evans who planted a seven-acre plot in Keyneton in 1853 and made wine considered the best in the southern colony. Unfortunately he died in 1868 and his wife, a virtuous woman with a temperance philosophy, ripped up all the vines.

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Henschke ‘Henry’s Seven’ 2017
Barossa, South Australia $49.95 (685578) 14.5% alcohol
Violets, red berry fruit and mixed spice intertwine with aromas of black juicy plum and notions of dark bramble berry, It coats the palate with flavours of strawberry and black raspberry mingling with black pepper and savoury notes and framed by excellent acidity riding a wave of passionfruit and red currant. This is medium-full bodied with silky-smooth texture, a firm, ripe tannin underpinning and replays of palate flavours on the dry, mouth-watering finish and aftertaste. Good to go now after a two-hour aeration/decant and on to 2035. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2015 Henschke ‘Keyneton Euphonium’ is primarily a shiraz blend with the following varietal components—66% shiraz/19% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot/5% cabernet franc grown in Eden Valley and the Barossa Valley. Wine matured in 80% seasoned and 20% new, 300-litre French hogshead barrels for 18 months before blended and bottled. An outstanding vintage, this extends its optimum drinking window between now, after a three-hour aeration/decant, and 2038.

Classics Catalogue Release: TBD 2020 - 2021

97
Henschke ‘Keyneton Euphonium’ 2015
Barossa, South Australia $78.95 (407577) 14.5% alcohol
Alluring aromas of dark fruit—cherries, bramble berry and plum—mingle with vanilla, sprigs of savoury herbs and violets on the nose of this structured and complex, thing of beauty. It surges over the palate with creamy-smooth texture and a smorgasbord of flavour with black currant and black juicy cherry mingling with black pepper, sweet vanilla hints of blueberry and mocha. This is framed with good tang and acidity and underpinned by soft, ripe tannin. There’s persistent purity of fruit, good balance and a boatload of charm. It took great discipline to spit, rather than swallow. (Vic Harradine)

Previously Released

• The following wine—2015 Henschke ‘Cyril Henschke’ Cabernet Sauvignon—honors a truly outstanding Australian winemaking pioneer, present owner Stephen Henschke’s late father, Cyril Henschke (1924-1979). Cyril planted cabernet sauvignon vines in the Henschke Eden Valley vineyard in the 1960’s. Fruit for this wine was sourced from those vines that are now biodynamically managed. Wine matured in 80% seasoned and 20% new, 300-litre French hogshead barrels for 18 months before blended and bottled. An outstanding vintage, this extends its optimum drinking window between 2024 and 2040.

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Henschke ‘Cyril Henschke’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Eden Valley, South Australia $215.00 (426395) 14.5% alcohol
An involved nose of delightful aromas—dark berry and black cherry fruit intertwined with savoury herbs, mixed spice and sandalwood—abound. This is medium-full bodied with excellent mouthfeel and is balanced on a pin. It blankets the palate with a stunning mouthful of flavours—black currant, mixed herbs and spice, hints of blueberry and ripe mulberry mingling with espresso roast and vanilla. It’s underpinned by ripe, still-evolving tannin and showcases a monumentally lengthy finish and aftertaste. Open 2024 to 2040. (Vic Harradine)

Classics Catalogue Release: September 3. 2020

• The following 2014 Henschke Hill of Grace was sourced from 100% pre-phylloxera material brought from Europe by settlers in the mid-1800s and grown on the single-vineyard, ‘Hill of Grace’ in the ‘High Eden’ at approximately 400m. The now biodynamically farmed vineyard is located opposite a beautiful Lutheran church named after a region in Silesia called ‘Gnadenberg’, meaning, Hill of Grace. This wine was matured 18 months in 89% French and 11% American, 33% new and 67% seasoned—300-litre hogsheads. The Henschke’s borrow words of the Greek poet, Homer, to describe the Hill of Grace 2014 vintage, ‘Beauty — it was a glorious gift of nature.’ An excellent vintage, this extends its optimum drinking window between 2023 and +2040.

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Henschke ‘Hill of Grace’ 2014
Eden Valley, South Australia $1,130.00 (399675) 14.5% alcohol
Aromas of violets, black pepper, sage and savoury herbs interlace with black bramble berry and juicy black cherry. This is fresh and lively on the palate with a gusher of ripe bramble berry and blueberry flavour mingling and melding with gamy notes, savoury herbs, spice and an underpinning of fine, ripe tannin that extends, along with palate replays, through the lengthy, lip-smacking finish and aftertaste. This has long life ahead that will repay patience; open between 2023 and +2040. (Vic Harradine)

Upstream in Winecurrent

Vintage Release Date: TBD

• The following 2017 Tilly’s Vineyard white blend—55% semillon/22%sauvignon blanc/12% pinot gris/6% chardonnay/5% riesling—was sourced in the Eden Valley and the Henschke Lenswood vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. It pays homage to great-aunt Ottilie Mathilde ‘Tilly’ Henschke and to most women of her era that worked the land, grew their own produce and raised a large family. The Lenswood vineyard in the Adelaide Hills was caught up with the fires that swept through there in early 2020. We tasted the wines below at Henschke not long after on March 12, 2020 and at that time they said some of the vines might survive. A real shame, if they don’t.

92
Henschke ‘Tilly’s Vineyard’ 2017
Eden Valley and Adelaide Hills, South Australia $30.00 12.0% alcohol
Fruit for this wine was sourced from a standout vintage giving the bottled wine optimum drinking life until, at least, 2026. It’s pale-yellow hued with hints of green on the edges. Aromas of green savoury herbs and yellow peach mingle with citrus notes on the nose. A medium-bodied, creamy smooth wash of Key lime, yellow nectarine and lemon race across the palate with great élan. These flavours and their lively tang persist through the crisp and refreshing finish and aftertaste. Versatile at the table, pour with pan-seared fish or seafood under a squeeze of fresh lemon or lemon chicken. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2019 Henschke ‘Julius’ Riesling was named in honor of the present owner Stephen Henschke’s late, great-uncle, Julius Henschke, who was, and still is, known for his artistic prowess as an artist and sculpture. His most inspiring work is the War Memorial on North Terrace in Adelaide. Fruit for the following wine was sourced from the Eden Valley and from 100% Riesling with the majority from 50-year-old and even older estate, biodynamic-certified vines. This is the 28th vintage of this ‘Julius’ riesling.

93
Henschke ‘Julius’ Riesling 2019
Eden Valley, South Australia $55.00 11.5% alcohol
This leaps from the glass with myriad aromas of floral notes, lemon-lime zest, sharp, flinty notes and exotic piquant spice. It races over the palate in a laser-like line of bracing acidity expressed in palate flavours with excellent tension—white grapefruit, saline notes and lime cordial. This medium-bodied, well textured gem has an extended life ahead, now to 2028 with careful cellar management in place. There is persistent purity of fruit and dry, crisp, thirst-quenching flavours throughout. Pour with duck confit or charcuterie board with a baguette. (Vic Harradine)

• The following 2015 Henschke ‘Mount Edelstone’ Shiraz is sourced from a vineyard of vines originally supplied by James Busby who had sourced from some of the best shiraz vines in France including Hermitage. It was Ronald Angas who fell in love with French red wines who dreamed of this single-varietal vineyard of shiraz while studying at Oxford and planted it some 107 years before fruit for this wine was harvested from it. In 1952, 5th generation Colin Angas offered the fruit from this vineyard to his neighbour, 4th generation winemaker Cyril Henschke. And the rest, they say, is history.

98
Henschke ‘Mount Edelstone’ Shiraz 2015
Eden Valley, South Australia $270.00 14.5% alcohol
This is rich, luscious and structured with great purity of fruit, balance and an über-lengthy finish. It opens with lifted aromas of savoury herbs, eucalyptus and a pleasant volley of fruit aromas with black currant, juicy dark Bing cherry interwoven with wisps of rose petals and cedar. The palate’s treated to a fully textured river of dark bramble berry, black cherry and blueberry decorated with dried herbs and black pepper. It finishes lengthy and luscious with good tang and acidity and firm, ripe tannin that almost melts in your mouth. This took great willpower to spit, rather than swallow. Drink now after a three-hour aeration/decant and on to +2040. (Vic Harradine)

Vintages Release: TBD

• The following 2018 Château Sainte-Marie ‘Vieilles Vignes - Source de Passion’ is a blend of 72% merlot/28% cabernet sauvignon sourced from estate vines in the heart of Entre-Deux-Mers that is family owned and managed by 4th generation vignerons.

90
Château Sainte-Marie ‘Vieilles Vignes - Source de Passion’ 2018’
AOC Bordeaux Supérieur $16.95 13.0% alcohol
This deep ruby shaded Bordeaux blend bursts with ripe dark fruit aromas—cassis, blackberry— and a great deal of earthiness, plus just a hint of green bell pepper. Expect a food friendly rustic wine with concentrated cassis and black cherry flavour mingling with dark chocolate and allspice note persisting in the nice grippy finish and aftertaste. This will benefit from two hours decant/aeration and will pair perfectly with stuffed Portobello mushrooms or a well-seasoned rare strip loin on the grill. (Louise Boutin)

• The following 2018 Château Peyredon ‘Lagravette’ Cru Bourgeois is one of the smallest Cru Bourgeois producing only 4000 cases. This vintage is a blend of 63% cabernet sauvignon and 37% merlot from 40-year-old estate vines. Wine spent 12 months in Acacia barriques, 1/3rd new before bottling. Drink now to 2028.

92
Château Peyredon ‘Lagravette’ Cru Bourgeois 2018
AOC Haut Médoc, Bordeaux $21.95 13.0% alcohol
Boysenberry, black plum, sweet smoke, vanilla and a whisper of violet make-up the nose of this value-packed gem. It over-delivers on structure and black fruit concentration, complemented with raspberry tang and a lovely savoury-peppery note trailing in the long comforting dry finish. This medium-full bodied beauty has cellaring potential but is fantastic now with lamb chops on the grill. Aerate/decant two hours. (Louise Boutin)

• The following 2018 Cantina del Giusto ‘Fontegrande’ Rosso is from a blend of primarily sangiovese and 10% canaiolo that fermented with natural malolactic conversion and batonnage for two weeks, then settled in stainless steel for ten months and further two months in bottle before release.

91
Tenute Poggio Bonelli Chianti Classico 2017
DOCG Chianti Classico $24.95 14.0% alcohol
Lifted, alluring aromas of exotic incense, perfumed floral notes, piquant spice and dark berry fruit abound on this 90% sangiovese/10% merlot red blend. It blankets the palate with a lively, tang-infused wash of passion fruit and Montmorency cherry interwoven with soft ripe tannin and flavours of black plum and black bramble berry. This is medium-bodied with good mouthfeel and a finish that replays palate flavours with good length and balance. Pour this alongside pasta arrabiata or veal Marsala. (Vic Harradine)

93
Tenute Poggio Bonelli Chianti Classico ‘Riserva’ 2017
DOCG Chianti Classico $29.95 14.0% alcohol
This opens with lifted, rich aromas of ripe black bramble berry fruit, floral notes and mocha. It glides over the palate with ease showcasing delectable palate flavours of racy black raspberry, black juicy Bing cherry and a most delicious rendition of dark, bittersweet chocolate. This is medium bodied with good texture and a lingering finish and aftertaste with excellent balance of full fruit flavour, oodles of tang and wisps of soft, ripe tannin. Pour on its own to be decadent, or with grilled rack of lamb to showcase your wine-pairing skill. (Vic Harradine)

92
Vallepicciola Chianti Classico ‘Riserva’ 2016
DOCG Chianti Classico $34.95 14.5% alcohol
Deep-garnet hued, aromas of black licorice, black Rainier cherry and wisps of espresso roast abound. It sports a tang-laden, lively line of bracing acidity on entry to the palate with red currant and passion fruit to the fore. At mid-palate the riper, sweeter components kick in with black currant and ripe mulberry interlaced with drying tannin on the finish and aftertaste. It’s good to go now after a three-hour aeration/decant and really shines with butter tomato sauce pasta. (Vic Harradine)

The following 2016 Vallepicciola Chianti Classico ‘Lapina - Gran Selezione’ meets all the criteria for the new premium category for DOCG Chianti Classico wines. To date, only about 5% of DOCG Chianti Classico wine has been selected. Read more here.

92
Vallepicciola Chianti Classico ‘Lapina - Gran Selezione’ 2016
DOCG Chianti Classico $49.95 14.5% alcohol
Über-dark and brooding in the glass, aromas of juicy black cherry and black currant intertwined with fennel and earthy notes. This rolls over the palate with flavourful waves of Ribena ©, black plum intertwined with sprigs of savoury herbs and racy tang. It’s medium bodied with good texture along with persistent purity of fruit, great balance and a lengthy finish and aftertaste. Pour with meat and cheese laden lasagna or pasta puttanesca. (Vic Harradine)

91
Cantina del Giusto ‘Fontegrande’ Rosso 2018
DOC Rosso di Montepulciano $16.95 14.5% alcohol
Muted at first, this beautiful Italian red discloses its personality with a vigorous swirl—purple plum, raspberry, fresh rose petal and a bright thyme note in the backdrop. It flows on the palate with lots of juicy black and red fruit flavours, excellent acidity, silky fine-grained tannin and no obvious sign of the high alcohol level. This is the bottle you’ll enjoy with charcuterie, red sauce pizza or stuffed bell peppers but you’ll want to save some or open a second one for after dinner sipping. (Louise Boutin)

• The following 2018 Tenute Toscane (Tenuta Il Faggeto - Lupaio) Rosso is a blend of hand-harvested 90% prugnolo gentile, aka sangiovese/10% canaiolo sourced from vines at 400 m asl. It underwent full malolactic conversion then matured 6-8 months in oak barrel.

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Tenute Toscane ‘Tenuta Il Faggeto – Lupaio’ Rosso 2018
DOC Rosso di Montepulciano $18.95 13.5% alcohol
This presents with aromas of ripe blackberry, plum compote, forest floor and a layer of baking spice emerging with additional agitation. A softly-textured flow of ripe black fruit flavours and bright acidity travels the palate, suddenly progressing to a much chewier mouthfeel with earthy notes and a peppery kick, lifting the dry savoury finish. This medium-full bodied red will further evolve over the next three years but it is delicious now when paired with a grilled-rare marinated flank steak. Decant/aerate two hours. (Louise Boutin)

• The following 2017 Cantina del Giusto ‘San Claudio II’ is an 85% sangiovese/10% canaiolo/5% mammolo red blend that underwent one month of fermentation and maceration and spontaneous malolactic conversion with frequent stirring for 15 days then transferred to stainless steel for six months then two years in large Slavonian oak casks then 3 months resting in bottle before release.

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Cantina del Giusto ‘San Claudio II’ 2017
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano $24.95 15.0% alcohol
Sangiovese attributes dominate on the nose of this Tuscan blend—black cherry, dark plum, cold tea and a dry oregano hint. An excellent integration of alcohol on the palate leaves all the space to cherry and blackberry flavours along with earthy and savoury notes and a suggestion of piquant cinnamon trailing in the finish and aftertaste. This excellent medium-full-bodied red will shine at the table with slowly-simmered meat or Italian sausages on the grill. Aerate/decant two hours before service. (Louise Boutin)

• The following 2015 Il Faggeto ‘Pietra del Diavolo’ is a blend of manually picked 90% prugnolo gentile aka sangiovese/5% canaiolo/5% mammolo sourced at 400 m asl. It matured for 24 months in 3000 L barrels then rested for an additional six in bottle before release.

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Il Faggeto ‘Pietra del Diavolo’ 2015
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano $24.95 14.0% alcohol
Expect a delectable complex nose—milk chocolate-covered black cherry, star anise, clove, leather and truffle—with this noble red irresistible to taste. This is full-bodied with evolved flavours of dry cherry, prune, roasted hazelnut and cocoa powder, all framed in firm yet ripe tannin. This is expertly balanced with a nice lingering finish pointing to dry fruit and savoury herb, the perfect combination to pair with aged cheese or grilled rack of lamb. (Louise Boutin)

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Tenuta Poggio Il Castellare Brunello di Montalcino 2015
DOCG Brunello di Montalcino $59.95 14.5% alcohol
This sports an alluring nose of rich ripe dark berry fruit, floral, mineral and gamy notes before gracing the palate with an elegant, balanced and sapid river of sweet, luscious flavours with bramble berry and cassis interlaced with excellent acidity and an underpinning of ripe tannin. It showcases an array of attributes—it’s wickedly lip-smacking delicious and was difficult to spit, it manages to be elegant and silky smooth yet rich and powerful at the same time and it’s delicious now after a three-hour decant and there’s a decade of life left with careful cellaring. (Vic Harradine)

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Château Dubraud 2016
AOC Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux, France $17.95 12.5% alcohol
This 90% merlot/10% cabernet sauvignon red blend is light-ruby hued with aromas of red berry fruit, floral notes and exotic incense. It bathes the palate with a medium-bodied, nicely textured swath of smooth, mellow flavours with black plum and dark cherry intertwined with sprigs of savoury herbs and flecks of mocha persisting through the finish. It’s balanced on a pin with no rough edges, like enjoying the company of a long-time friend. Pour on its own or with zucchini boats or moussaka.

• The following 2016 Villa Montepaldi ‘Taglisfune’ is a unique blend of 80% sangiovese and 5% each of the following varieties: cabernet sauvignon/merlot/alicante/colorino. Florence University owns the estate from which hand-harvested fruit for this wine was sourced.

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Villa Montepaldi ‘Taglisfune’ 2016
DOCG Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy $22.95 14.0% alcohol
Aromas of violets, sandalwood and red berry fruit provide segue to a luscious and lively surge of ripe dark cherry, bramble berry interlaced with gorgeous lip-smacking tang and a hint of dark bittersweet chocolate. This is medium-plus bodied with generous mouthfeel and a lingering, balanced and beautiful finish and aftertaste. Pour alongside osso buco or grilled rack of lamb. (Vic Harradine)

Cheers, Louise. Lisa, Dave, Vic